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Tom Petty Family Reveals Singer’s Cause of Death

Lucy Nicholson

Several months after his sudden death at the age of 66, Tom Petty’s family released a statement on his Facebook page Friday that included details from a coroner’s report that determined the singer “passed away due to an accidental drug overdose as a result of taking a variety of medications.” At the time of Petty’s death, they revealed, he was suffering from a broken hip, adding, “it is our feeling that the pain was simply unbearable and was the cause for his over use of medication.” Petty had been prescribed Fentanyl for his pain, the same drug that contributed to Prince’s death a year earlier. “As a family we recognize this report may spark a further discussion on the opioid crisis and we feel that it is a healthy and necessary discussion and we hope in some way this report can save lives,” the statement read. “Many people who overdose begin with a legitimate injury or simply do not understand the potency and deadly nature of these medications.”